Music
Parrot Party portable wireless audio system
Designed as a quality alternative to the often unsatisfying speaker systems in mobile phones, this compact and totally wireless sound audio system offers four hours of playback from Bluetooth devices to a range of 33 feet, as well as a plug-in solution for listening to personal media or CD players while you're out and about. (read more...)
ProTrack+iPod = handheld digital stereo recorder
Professional audio equipment and studio electronics manufacturer Alesis has announced the forthcoming release of the ProTrack, a handheld digital stereo recorder for iPods. The ProTrack provides direct-to-iPod stereo digital recording to iPod in a portable, handheld form factor. The ProTrack’s design integrates an iPod (Classic or 5th Generation), or iPod nano (2nd or 3rd Generation) into the recorder, with included sleds to securely mount the supported iPod models to the recorder. (read more...)
CD player design straight out of Johnny Mnemonic
While the Compact Disc may be on its last legs, usurped by Flash based personal media players, DVDs and now Blu-Ray Discs, that hasn't stopped South Korean designer Kim Yong Seong turning out an interesting design for a portable music player that supports CDs and MP3 files. Kim has dubbed his proposed design the DMP, short for Dual Music Player, which plays MP3 files in the compact closed position and then flips open to form two arms that support a CD. MP3 files and charging would come courtesy of a USB connection and the device would also do away with messy headphone cables through Bluetooth support. (read more...)
JBL Control NOW indoor - outdoor loudspeakers
JBL'sControl NOW loudspeakers offer solutions for both indoor and outdoor applications via a unique curved shape that enables them to be placed virtually anywhere and promises to deliver high sound quality even in less-than-optimal acoustic situations. (read more...)
ION AUDIO LP DOCK unlocks the value in your vinyl
June 3, 2008 The ION AUDIO LP DOCK has all the hallmarks of a killer gizmo in our humble opinion. Firstly, it enables the direct conversion of legacy music collections you’ve paid for in 33 1/3 and 45 RPM vinyl format to iTunes and/or iPod. Throw a computer into the mix and the included software cleans up the pops and scratches and will even consult Gracenote MusicID technology to automatically retrieve album, artist and song information from the Internet, simplifying the conversion and cataloging process of your entire record collection to a few mouse clicks. It even has line level outputs and can hence add a turntable to any AV set-up. (read more...)
Alpine Electronics' ultra-compact subwoofer
Alpine Electronics has developed a subwoofer solution for automobile enthusiasts who value space as much as bass. The subwoofer provides the same low frequency performance of a 12-inch model, but in a compact 100mm deep unit that can snugly fit in sports cars, SUVs and saloons. (read more...)
Olive's 1000GB OPUS No4 home audio solution
April 30, 2008 Featuring an intuitive touch-screen interface and capable of storing up to 3000 CDs in their original quality, the OPUS No4 is pitched at music lovers who want to spend less time managing their collection, and more time enjoying it. (read more...)
Tiny MobiBLU Cube MP3 player with full color OLED display
April 7, 2008 The diminutive MobiBLU Cube incorporates MP3, FM radio, voice recording and video playback via a full color OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display... all in a 1.0” x 1.0” x 1.0” footprint. (read more...)
Researchers achieve music file compression 1,000 times smaller than MP3
April 3, 2008 In a quest to find "the absolute least amount of data needed to reproduce a piece of music", researchers at the University of Rochester have digitally encoded a 20-second clarinet solo into a file that's less than a kilobyte in size - nearly 1,000 times smaller than standard MP3 compression. (read more...)
Edison’s first sound recording predated by 20 years
March 28, 2008 Thomas Alva Edison has been considered the father of recorded sound since he captured the spoken words "Mary had a little lamb" on a sheet of tinfoil. Now a recording has come to light made by Frenchman Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville on his phonautograph which captured the waves and translated them into visible form on paper. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory developed the playback technology which unlocked the recorded sound (listen to it here as an MP3). According to the researchers, the recording was made on April 9, 1860, predating Edison’s recording by a full two decades. (read more...)
Melodyne studio pitch correction now able to break chords down for editing
March 19, 2008 Ever wondered how performing artists can seem so perfect on record, but their live pitch and timing can be a bit hit and miss? Part of it's genuine talent and studio concentration, but increasingly in the last ten years, recording perfection has been made easier by a range of amazing digital recording software that can correct pitch, timing and modulation of individual notes in a recorded track at the click of a mouse button. And the latest release from Melodyne, whose pitch correction software has become a de facto industry standard, claims to let producers edit individual notes within a chord. For the first time, this astonishing new package will let you correct wrong notes in a guitar track, for example, or move individual notes around to create entirely new guitar parts as if you're editing a midi track. (read more...)
Hearing Components $79.95 noise reducing Comply NR-10 earphones
Hearing Components’ latest noise reducing earphones, the $79.95 Comply NR-10, share a common design with earphones used by the US Army and Special Forces. The Comply NR-10 uses the military technology to deliver 48 decibels of noise reduction, blocking out more noise than the alternatives, without requiring additional battery power. (read more...)
Sansa Fuze rounds out SanDisk’s media player product line
March 13, 2008 SanDisk has unveiled the Flash-based Sansa Fuze MP3 player, a well specced entry level unit which joins the pint-sized Sansa Clip and the video-centric Sansa View in Sandisk's media player line. (read more...)
The DIY US$600 Laser Harp
March 6, 2008 Stephen Hobley saw Jean Michael Jarre play his highly theatrical Laser Harp live 22 years ago and vowed he’d build one just like it. He’s just ironed out the bugs and has detailed the entire construction process on the internet. He reckons anyone can build one for under US$600 after purchasing his US$19 Laser Harp Plans and Source Code. We came across the Frameless Laser Harp when it scored second place in Trossen Robotics Community’s latest contest in a very hot field that included a seeing-eye-robot for the visually impaired and a "self-balancing motorboard" which is very similar to the iSlide which drew so much reader interest in a recent Gizmag article. (read more...)
MusicReader sheet music software
February 25, 2008 Dutch company MusicReader has released sheet music software that simplifies the task of reading music while performing for individuals, ensembles and orchestras. The new software offers features such as easy page turning, a convenient music library and flexible annotations. (read more...)
The Razer Mako 2.1 THX certified speaker system
February 25, 2008 Co-developed by the audio scientists of gaming audio leader Razer and audio industry pioneer THX Ltd., the Razer Mako 2.1 bi-amplified multimedia speaker system is the first desktop speaker system to incorporate the THX Ground Plane and THX Slot Speaker technologies, as well as ClassHD Digital Amplifier Technology, which enable rich, omnidirectional audio effects. The downward-firing design of the THX Ground Plane and THX Slot Speaker technologies eliminates distortion caused by the 'desk-bounce' phenomenon encountered with normal speaker systems, to create a rich, omnidirectional soundstage while the high-end ClassHD digital amplifier technologies intelligently manage the amplifier power to achieve greater power efficiency, lower distortion levels, and better sound quality. (read more...)
Stradivarius for sale
February 19, 2008 Violins created by Antonio Stradivarius have, in the eyes of collectors and instrumental experts, never been bettered. Hailed for their superlative tonal quality and superior craftsmanship, owning a Stradivarius instrument has over the centuries been an obsessive ambition for many players. With only 650 Stradivari instruments in existence today, the news that a violin by the world’s most celebrated craftsman is for sale will be music to collectors and performers ears alike. A mystery however hangs over this remarkable instrument … (read more...)
Blaupunkt New Orleans MP58 offers uninterrupted MP3 playback
February 13, 2008 Blaupunkt's latest car radio release caters to digital music formats by including a fixed 1 meter USB cable for connecting external digital storage devices along with "no-interrupt browsing capability", meaning you can continue to listen to the current track while searching through playlists. (read more...)
Latest Walkman phone provides 8GB music storage
February 11, 2008 In more news from Sony Ericsson, the latest addition to Walkman line has been unveiled. Available in Q3 of this year, the W980 Walkman phone boasts distortion free stereo sound and 8GB of internal memory (or up to 8000 songs) in a clamshell "Walkman on Top" design that replicates the Walkman controls on the outside of the phone for quick navigation through your music library. (read more...)
Ultra-soft earphone tips promise comfort and clarity
February 5, 2008 Made from a "memory foam" 30 times softer than the silicone rubber used to make most earphone tips, Comply™ pitch their Foam Tips as an affordable and simple solution to customizing earphones and enhancing noise reduction in a market where the "one-size-fits-all" mantra definitely does not apply. (read more...)
Eric Buell designs for a different kind of shredding
February 1, 2008 In an unusual move for a sporting motorcycle design engineer, Eric Buell has turned his eclectic eye to faster frets and pumping pickups for a brand new custom Peavey electric guitar, the MS-1. (read more...)
Retro digital radio: Roberts MP-SOUND 41
January 24, 2008 The UK-based Roberts Radio Company has been producing portable radios since the 1930’s and one of their latest offerings is the MP-SOUND 41 digital radio. With its retro looks you could be forgiven for thinking it’s an old-fashioned analogue radio but with Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) capability, Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) technology and the ability to record up to 8 hours of radio onto a SD card, it has nearly everything required for the 21st Century. (read more...)
Blaupunkt Velocity 2Go: portable speaker system AND car subwoofer
January 17, 2008 Blaupunkt has revealed a headphone-jack portable stereo speaker system that can be converted into car audio subwoofers. The Velocity 2Go speakers can connect to any device with headphone output jacks, and when used in a car, deliver deep, clean bass to complement the basic four-speaker audio system. (read more...)
SanDisk double the capacity of Sansa portable media players
January 15, 2008 They haven't even reached their first birthday but SanDisk Corporation has announced capacity increases for two of its Flash-based digital media players at CES 2008. The diminutive Sansa Clip moves from a top capacity of 2GB to 4GB, while the Sansa View jumps to 32GB from a previous top capacity of 16 GB. Both units include a built-in microphone for voice recording, built-in FM tuner and support for MP3, WMA, WAV and Audible audio book formats. (read more...)
Gibson's stunning Robot Les Paul tunes itself in seconds
January 10, 2008 Some of the best guitarists have an amazing ability to pick out which of their strings are out of tune and adjust them mid-song – for the rest of us, the tuning process can be an annoying time-waster – particularly on stage. We've written before about Transperformance's bolt-on self-tuning systems, but Gibson has recently become the first company to release a ready-made axe with the ability to adjust itself perfectly to a number of common tunings at the touch of a button. The Gibson Robot Guitar, which just received the NEWSTIPS "Best of Show" award at CES, also makes replacing strings and setting your intonation an absolute breeze. At US$2499, this intelligent Les Paul deserves to be a huge hit. (read more...)
